There has been noted many prior attempts to utilize solar energy to effectuate a savings in energy requirements needed to heat buildings and/or make hot water for use therein. In attempting to do this many of these prior art attempts have sought to raise the temperature of water by direct exposure or commingling of the water with a solar radiation means.
Fewer attempts have been noted where efforts to avail of a separate fluid in heat exchange relationship with the water have been disclosed. To make a long story as breif as possible there appears singularly lacking in the art of a two fluid system having control means to regulate heat exchange from one closed circuit circulating fluid to another. It is in addressing this void in the art that this invention finds particularly significant utility in that it permits a solar energy system to be used in hot and freezing climates.
It is a significantly greater object of this invention to disclose to the practitioners in the art of solar energy heating means a standardized system which is far more economical, reliable, and functional than any other system known, to say nothing of the still further object of providing such a system that may be used to retrofit systems such as home hot water systems without the expense of major overhaul and equipment removal and replacement.
In greater detail it is an object of this invention to provide a system as aforesaid which adds to a structure a solar collector means of novel design for heating a storage tank connected between a water inlet and a hot water tank by means of a controllable system of circulating a water/glycol fluid therebetween.
Other objects and advantages will appear to those skilled in the art from an understanding of the drawings and the description thereof that follows.